Medium composition for preparing botulinum toxin

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a medium composition for production of botulinum toxin and, more particularly, to a medium composition for culture of Clostridium sp. capable of producing botulinum toxin. The medium composition of the present invention comprises a porcine peptone and at least one plant-derived peptone selected from the group consisting of a garden pea hydrolysate, a cotton seed hydrolysate and a wheat gluten hydrolysate. When the medium according to the present invention, which contains plant-derived peptones, porcine peptones and minerals, is used for culture of Clostridium botulinum, the growth rate of the bacterium in the medium is higher than that in each of the medium that is in current use and the medium comprising plant-derived peptones alone. In addition, when the medium of the present invention is used, a high concentration of botulinum toxin can be produced by culturing the bacterium in a safe manner.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a U.S. national phase under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 371 of International Patent Application No. PCT/KR2016/004432 filed Apr. 28, 2016, which in turn claims priority of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2015-0059656 filed Apr. 28, 2015. The disclosures of such international patent application and Korean priority patent application are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their respective entireties, for all purposes.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a medium composition for production of botulinum toxin and, more particularly, to a medium composition for culture of strains of Clostridium capable of producing botulinum toxin. The medium composition of the present invention comprises a porcine peptone and at least one plant-derived peptone selected from the group consisting of a garden pea hydrolysate, a cotton seed hydrolysate and a wheat gluten hydrolysate.

BACKGROUND ART

A variety of Clostridium strains that secrete neurotoxic toxins have been discovered since 1890s, and the characterization of toxins that are secreted from these bacteria has been made for the past 70 years (Schant, E. J. et al., Microbiol. Rev., 56:80, 1992).

Neurotoxic toxins derived from the Clostridium sp., that is, botulinum toxins, are classified into seven types (types A to G) depending on their serological properties. Each of the toxins has a toxin protein having a size of about 150 kDa and naturally comprises a complex of several non-toxic proteins bound thereto. A medium complex (300 kDa) is composed of a toxin protein and a non-toxic non-hemagglutinin protein, and a large complex (450 kDa) and a very large complex (900 kDa) are composed of the medium-sized complex bound to hemagglutinin (Sugiyama, H., Microbiol. Rev., 44:419, 1980). Such non-toxic hemagglutinin proteins are known to function to protect the toxin from low pH and various proteases in the intestines.

The toxin is synthesized as a single polypeptide having a molecular weight of about 150 kDa in cells, and then cleaved at a position of 1/3 starting from the N-terminal end by the action of intracellular protease or treatment with an artificial enzyme such as trypsin into two units: a light chain (L; molecular weight: 50 kDa) and a heavy chain (H; molecular weight: 100 kDa). The cleaved toxin has greatly increased toxicity compared to the single polypeptide. The two units are linked to each other by a disulfide bond and have different functions. The heavy chain binds to a receptor of a target cell (Park. M. K. et al., FEMS Microbiol. Lett., 72:243, 1990) and functions to interact with a biomembrane at low pH (pH 4) to form a channel (Mantecucco, C. et al., TIBS., 18:324, 1993), and the light chain has the pharmacological activity of interfering the secretion of neurotransmitters, when it is permeable to cells by using detergent or introduced to cells by electroporation or etc (Poulain, B. et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA., 85:4090, 1988).

The toxin inhibits the exocytosis of acetylcholine at the cholinergic presynapse of a neuromuscular junction to cause asthenia. It has been considered that even treatment with a very small amount of the toxin exhibits toxicity, suggesting that the toxin has any enzymatic activity (Simpson, L. L. et al., Ann. Rev. Pharmacol. Toxicol., 26:427, 1986).

According to a recent report, the toxin has metallopeptidase activity, and its substrates include composed of synaptobrevin, syntaxin, a synaptosomal associated protein of 25 kDa (SNAP25), etc., which are the unit proteins of an exocytosis machinery complex. Each type of toxin uses one of the above-described three proteins as its substrate, and it is known that type B, D, F and G toxins cleave synaptobrevin at a specific site, type A and E toxins cleave SNAP25 at a specific site, and type C cleaves syntaxin at a specific site (Binz, T. et al., J. Biol. Chem., 265:9153, 1994).

Particularly, type A botulinum toxin is known to be soluble in a dilute aqueous solution at a pH of 4.0-6.8. It is known that a stable non-toxic protein is separated from neurotoxin at a pH of about 7 or higher, and as a result, the toxicity is gradually lost. Particularly, it is known that the toxicity decreases as pH and temperature increase.

The botulinum toxin is fatal to the human body even in small amounts and is easy to produce in large amounts. Thus, it constitutes four major bio-terror weapons together with Bacillus anthracis, Yersinia pestis and smallpox virus. However, it was found that, when type A botulinum toxin is injected at a dose that does not systematically affect the human body, it can paralyze local muscle in the injected site. Based on this characteristic, type A botulinum toxin can be used in a wide range of applications, including winkle removing agents, agents for treating spastic hemiplegia and cerebral palsy, etc. Thus, the demand for type A botulinum toxin has increased, and studies on methods of producing botulinum toxin so as to satisfy the demand have been actively conducted.

A current typical commercial product is BOTOX® (a purified neurotoxin complex of type A botulinum toxin) that is commercially available from Allergan, Inc., USA. A 100-unit vial of BOTOX® is composed of about 5 ng of a purified neurotoxin complex of type A botulinum toxin, 0.5 mg of human serum albumin and 0.9 mg of sodium chloride and is reconstituted using sterile saline without a preservative (injection of 0.9% sodium chloride). Other commercial products include Dysport® (a complex of Clostridium botulinum type A toxin and hemagglutinin, which has lactose and human serum albumin in a pharmaceutical composition containing botulinum toxin and is reconstituted using 0.9% sodium chloride before use) that is commercially available from Ipsen Ltd., UK, MyoBloc® (an injectable solution (a pH of about 5.6) comprising botulinum type B toxin, human serum albumin, sodium succinate and sodium chloride) that is commercially available from Solstice Neurosciences, Inc.

A medium for culture of Clostridium botulinum, which is generally used in a method for production of botulinum toxin as disclosed in Korean Patent No. 10-1339349, contains animal components. Thus, if an animal abnormal prion known as an agent that causes transmissible spongiform encephalopathy is contained in the animal components due to contamination, it poses problems in a process for producing botulinum toxin.

Transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) is known as a neurodegenerative disorder causing serious degeneration of neurons, and examples thereof includes bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), Scrapie, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker syndrome, Kuru, transmissible mink encephalopathy, chronic wasting disease, feline spongiform encephalopathy, etc., which affect humans and animals. It was reported that BSE crosses the species barrier and infects even humans.

The agent that causes transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) has characteristics in that it has no immunogenicity and the incubation period is long. From histopathological analysis of BSE-affected bovine brain tissue, it can be seen that special spongiform vacuoles were formed in the brain due to damage to neurons and deposition of abnormal protein fibers.

The cause of TSE is a proteinaceous infectious particle known as the abnormal prion. Unlike general viruses that require nucleic acid, the abnormal prion is an infectious particle composed of protein alone without comprising nucleic acid. Regarding TSE, it is known that, when an abnormal prion (PrPsc) that is an infectious particle binds to a normal prion (PrPc), it is converted to a pathogenic prion which is then accumulated in the brain (Prusiner S B, Alzheimer Dis Assoc Disord., 3:52-78, 1989).

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is a rare neurodegenerative disorder of human transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) where the transmissible agent is apparently an abnormal isoform of a prion protein. An individual with Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease can deteriorate from apparent perfect health to akinetic mutism within six months. Thus, a potential risk may exist of acquiring a prion mediated disease, such as Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease, from the administration of a pharmaceutical composition which contains a biologic, such as a botulinum toxin, obtained using animal-derived products. Thus, if a pharmaceutical composition is prepared by drug substance produced using animal-derived components, it can subject the patient to a potential risk of receiving various pathogens or infectious agents.

Under this technical background, the present inventors have found that, when a medium comprising transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE)-free plant-derived peptone, mineral and TSE-free porcine peptone (e.g., TSE-certificated porcine peptone) is used for culture of Clostridium botulinum in order to prevent the risk of developing the above-described prion-mediated disease, the risk of development of the prion-mediated disease that can occur in a medium that is in current use (original medium) can be excluded, and the growth rate of Clostridium botulinum in the medium can be increased compared to that in the medium that is in current use and the medium comprising plant-derived peptone alone, thereby completing the present invention.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION Technical Problem

It is an object of the present invention to provide a medium composition comprising a plant-derived peptone having no risk of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) infection and a porcine peptone having no risk of TSE infection, and a method for production of botulinum toxin, which improves the production of botulinum toxin by culturing Clostridium botulinum in the medium composition.

Technical Solution

To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a medium composition for culture of Clostridium botulinum, the medium composition comprising: at least one plant-derived peptone selected from the group consisting of a garden pea hydrolysate, a cotton seed hydrolysate and a wheat gluten hydrolysate; and a porcine peptone.

The present invention also provides a method for producing botulinum toxin, comprising the steps of: (a) culturing Clostridium botulinum using the medium composition to produce botulinum toxin; and (b) recovering the produced botulinum toxin.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The patent or application file contains at least one drawing executed in color. Copies of this patent or patent application publication with color drawing(s) will be provided by the Office upon request and payment of the necessary fee.

FIG. 1 shows the growth of Clostridium botulinum in a medium (APF medium) comprising plant-derived peptone.

FIG. 2 shows the growth of Clostridium botulinum in a medium comprising plant-derived peptones, minerals, amino acids and vitamins.

FIG. 3 shows the results of examining whether a precipitate is formed after sterilization of a medium comprising plant-derived peptones, minerals, amino acids and vitamins is sterilized.

FIG. 4 shows the results of examining whether a precipitate is formed after sterilization of a medium comprising plant-derived peptones and minerals.

FIG. 5 shows the growth of Clostridium botulinum in media obtained by additionally adding vitamins, amino acids and “BD Recharge™ without Glucose and L-Glutamine” to media for culture of the bacterium, which contain plant-derived peptone and mineral.

FIG. 6 shows the growth of Clostridium botulinum in media for culture of the bacterium, which contain various kinds of plant-derived peptones.

FIG. 7 shows contour plots of FFD for mineral screening, and response optimization. FIG. 7a contour plot for high setting; FIG. 7b contour plot for middle setting; FIG. 7c contour plot for low setting; and FIG. 7d response optimization for maximum OD.

FIG. 8 shows contour plots of FFD for mineral screening, and response optimization. FIG. 8a contour plot for high setting; FIG. 8b contour plot for middle setting; FIG. 8c contour plot for low setting; and FIG. 8d response optimization for maximum OD.

FIG. 9 shows contour plots for plant peptone screening, and response optimization. FIG. 9a contour plot for middle setting; FIG. 9b contour plot for low setting; and FIG. 9c response optimization for maximum OD.

FIG. 10 shows the growth curve of Clostridium botulinum in the finally selected APF medium, and a change in toxin concentration.

FIG. 11a shows a response surface plot and response optimization, and FIG. 11b for screening of the porcine peptone Primatone P37 or Bacto proteose peptone No. 3.

FIG. 12 graphically shows time-dependent OD values comparing the growth of Clostridium botulinum between a medium that is in current use, a medium comprising plant-derived peptones (APF medium) and a final medium comprising plant-derived peptones and porcine peptones (APF+porcine).

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

In the present invention, an animal protein-free (APF) medium composition showed an increased growth rate of Clostridium botulinum compared to a medium that is in current use (original medium), but it was taken into account to add medium components that further increase the growth rate of the bacterium and have no risk of infection with TSE or the like. Thus, a porcine peptone (e.g., a TSE-certificated porcine peptone), which has not been reported to cause TSE infection, was added to the APF medium, and the growth of a bacterium in the APF medium was examined. As a result, the APF medium showed an increased growth rate of the bacterium compared to a medium that is in current use and a medium comprising plant-derived peptones alone. Thus, if the above medium is used, a high concentration of botulinum toxin can be produced by culturing a bacterium in a safe manner under TSE-free conditions.

It was reported that TSE affects humans and various animals, including goats, sheep, minks and deer, but a TSE outbreak in pigs has not yet been reported (Jahns H et al., Vet Rec., 159(5):137-142, 2006; Kofler M et al., Schwweiz Arch Tierheild, 148(7):341-342, 344-348, 2006). Thus, in the present invention, porcine peptone was added to a medium composition for culture of Clostridium botulinum, thereby preparing a medium composition showing an increased growth rate of the bacterium compared to a medium that is in current use and a medium comprising plant-derived peptone alone in a process for production of a biological agent such as a botulinum toxin without the risk of causing a prion-mediated disease such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

As used herein, the term “medium that is in current use or original medium” means a medium comprising casein hydrolysate, yeast extract and thioglycollate medium, which are animal-derived medium components. The term “APF medium (animal protein-free medium)” means a medium that contains no animal-derived protein and that contains plant-derived peptones, minerals and glucose.

In an example of the present invention, in order to produce botulinum toxin by culturing Clostridium botulinum under transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE)-free conditions, an APF medium comprising TSE-free plant-derived peptone was prepared and compared with a medium that is in current use (containing an animal component). As a result, it could be seen that an optimal medium composition for culturing Clostridium botulinum is one comprising a plant-derived peptone, at least one mineral selected from the group consisting of KH₂PO₄, K₂HPO₄ and Na₂HPO₄, and a carbon source (e.g., glucose, and the optimal growth of the bacterium in this medium was found. As a result, as shown in Table 13, it was determined that the optimal contents of plant-derived peptones in the finally selected medium composition for culture of Clostridium botulinum are 5 g/L Hy-Pea™ 7404, 10 g/L UltraPep™ Cotton and 5 g/L HyPep™ 4601N, and the optimal contents of minerals in the medium composition are 5.5 g/L K₂HPO₄ and 3 g/L Na₂HPO₄.

In another example of the present invention, the growth pattern of Clostridium botulinum in the finally selected APF medium containing plant-derived peptones and minerals and the toxin concentration were measured. As a result, as shown in Table 12 and FIG. 10, the OD value started to increase after 12 hours of culture of Clostridium botulinum, and at 24 hours of culture, the culture medium showed an OD_(540 nm) of 3.5465 and an OD_(600 nm) of 3.0695. Then, the OD value decreased gradually, and at 48 hours of culture, the culture medium showed an OD_(540 nm) of 0.792 and an OD_(600 nm) of 0.7224. The toxin concentration in the culture supernatant of Clostridium botulinum started to increase after 5 hours of culture and showed a final value of 31.41 μg/ml. When the toxin concentration was measured after rupturing the bacterium, the toxin started to be produced after 5 hours of culture, and the toxin concentration continued to increase, was maintained at a uniform level after 28 hours of culture, and showed a final value of 38.39 μg/ml.

In another example of the present invention, the growth of Clostridium botulinum in a medium comprising plant-derived peptones and porcine peptones was examined. As a result, as shown in Table 14, when the bacterium was cultured in the medium further comprising porcine peptone, the medium showed an OD value higher than the medium comprising plant-derived peptone alone. Particularly, the medium showing the highest growth rate of the bacterium was a medium comprising 10 g/L Primatone P37 and 10 g/L Bacto proteose peptone No. 3, which showed an OD_(540 nm) value of 4.951.

In another example of the present invention, the growth pattern of Clostridium botulinum in the medium comprising plant-derived peptones and porcine peptones was examined. As a result, as shown in Table 15, at 20 hours of culture of the strain, the growth of the bacterium in the medium comprising plant-derived peptones and porcine peptones was active, and the medium showed an OD value which was about 11 times higher than that of the commercial medium and about 2.2 times higher than that of the medium comprising plant-derived peptone alone. At 29 hours of culture of the bacterium, the peak OD value of the medium comprising plant-derived peptones and porcine peptones was at least two times higher than that of each of the medium that is in current use and the medium comprising plant-derived peptones alone. Thus, it could be seen that the growth rate of the bacterium in the medium comprising plant-derived peptones and porcine peptones was highest among those in the three types of media.

As a result, as shown in Table 16, it was determined that the optimal contents of plant-derived peptones in the finally selected medium composition for culture of Clostridium botulinum, which contains a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE)-free porcine peptone, are 5 g/L Hy-Pea™ 7404, 10 g/L UltraPep™ Cotton and 5 g/L HyPep™ 4601N, and the optimal contents of minerals in the medium composition are 5.5 g/L K₂HPO₄ and 3 g/L Na₂HPO₄, the content of the glucose is 10 g/L, and the contents of porcine peptone are 13 g/L Primatone P37 and 13 g/L Bacto proteose peptone No. 3.

Therefore, in one aspect, the present invention is directed to a medium composition for culture of Clostridium botulinum, the medium composition comprising: at least one plant-derived peptone selected from the group consisting of a garden pea hydrolysate, a cotton seed hydrolysate and a wheat gluten hydrolysate; and a porcine peptone.

As used herein, the term “plant-derived peptone” means a peptone extracted from garden pea, cotton seed or wheat gluten. Preferably, the plant-derived peptone may be commercially available Hy-Pea™ 7404, UltraPep™ Cotton, HyPep™ 7504 or HyPep™ 4601N, but is not limited thereto. The term “porcine peptone” means a component extracted from a porcine tissue. Preferably, the porcine peptone may be a porcine peptone comprising about 54.91-60.69 wt % of peptides having a molecular weight of 500 Da or less, or a porcine peptone comprising about 38.48-42.53 wt % of peptides having a molecular weight of 500 Da or less. More preferably, the casein hydrolysate may be commercially available Primatone P37 or Bacto proteose peptone No. 3, but is not limited thereto.

As used herein, the term “plant-derived peptone” or “plant-derived hydrolysate” means a product obtained by degrading a protein isolated from a plant. For example, the garden pea peptone (garden pea hydrolysate) means a product obtained by degrading a total protein isolated from garden pea. In addition, the term “porcine peptone” or “porcine hydrolysate” means a product obtained by degrading porcine protein.

Degradation of the plant-derived protein or the porcine tissue protein is preferably performed by partial digestion. Degradation of the protein is preferably performed by acid treatment, base treatment, enzyme treatment, high-pressure treatment, heat treatment or physical treatment. More preferably, the porcine peptone may be one obtained by enzyme treatment. The physical treatment is, for example, grinding.

The plant-derived peptone or porcine peptone that is used in the present invention is a partial degradation product of protein, is a mixture comprising not only amino acids that are single molecules, but also peptides composed of several to several tens of amino acids, and intact protein molecules.

In the present invention, the content of the plant-derived peptone in the medium composition may be 0.1-10 w/v % (1-100 g/L), preferably 0.2-5 w/v % (2-50 g/L), more preferably 0.5-2 w/v % (5-20 g/L).

In the present invention, the medium composition contains all the garden pea hydrolysate, the cotton seed hydrolysate and the wheat gluten hydrolysate, and the content ratio of the garden pea hydrolysate, the cotton seed hydrolysate and the wheat gluten hydrolysate in the medium composition may be 1:0.24-43.62:0.01-50.57 by weight, preferably 1:0.68-14.46:0.09-9.87 by weight, more preferably 1:1.6-2.4:0.6-1.4 by weight.

In the present invention, the content of the porcine peptone in the medium composition may be 0.2-10 w/v % (2-100 g/L), preferably 0.4-5 w/v % (4-50 g/L), more preferably 1-2 w/v % (10-20 g/L).

In the present invention, the porcine peptone may be a hydrolysate comprising about 54.91-60.69 wt % of peptides having a molecular weight of 500 Da or less and/or a hydrolysate comprising about 38.48-42.53 wt % of peptides having a molecular weight of 500 Da or less.

In the present invention, if the porcine peptone comprises both a hydrolysate comprising about 54.91-60.69 wt % of peptides having a molecular weight of 500 Da or less and a hydrolysate comprising about 38.48-42.53 wt % of peptides having a molecular weight of 500 Da or less, the content (by weight) of the porcine peptone may be calculated using the following equation 1, and the content ratio of the hydrolysate comprising about 54.91-60.69 wt % of peptides having a molecular weight of 500 Da or less and the hydrolysate comprising about 38.48-42.53 wt % of peptides having a molecular weight of 500 Da or less may preferably be 1:0.8-1.2 by weight. B≥−0.625*A+12.5, B≤−1.019*A+53  Equation 1

wherein

A: the content (0-5.2 w/v % (0-52 g/L)) of the hydrolysate comprising about 54.91-60.69 wt % of peptides having a molecular weight of 500 Da or less;

B: the content (0-5.3 w/v % (0-53 g/L)) of the hydrolysate comprising about 38.48-42.53 wt % of peptides having a molecular weight of 500 Da or less.

In the present invention, the medium composition for culture of Clostridium botulinum may further contain a carbon source and at least one mineral selected from the group consisting of K₂HPO₄ (dipotassium phosphate), Na₂HPO₄ (disodium phosphate) and KH₂PO₄ (monopotassium phosphate).

Herein, examples of the carbon source include, but are not limited to, monosaccharides (e.g., glucose, fructose, etc.), disaccharides (e.g., maltose, sucrose, etc.), oligosaccharides, polysaccharides (e.g., dextrin, cyclodextrin, starch, etc.), sugar alcohols (e.g., xylitol, sorbitol, erythritol, etc.).

In the present invention, the content of the mineral in the medium composition may be 0.05-3.5 w/v % (0.5-35 g/L), preferably 0.1-1.75 w/v % (1-17.5 g/L), and more preferably 0.25-0.7 w/v % (2.5-7 g/L).

In another aspect, the present invention is directed to a method for producing botulinum toxin, comprising the steps of: (a) culturing Clostridium botulinum using the above-described medium composition to produce botulinum toxin; and (b) recovering the produced botulinum toxin.

In the present invention, the culturing may be performed under anaerobic conditions, and the botulinum toxin may be selected from the group consisting of botulinum toxin types A, B, C, D, E, F and G.

EXAMPLES

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in further detail with reference to examples. It will be obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art that these examples are illustrative purposes only and are not to be construed to limit the scope of the present invention. Thus, the substantial scope of the present invention will be defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.

Example 1: Culture of Clostridium botulinum in Plant-Derived Peptone Medium

1-1: Composition of a Medium Currently Used in Culture

The reagents and medium components used in the present invention were purchased from Sigma (USA), Kerry Inc. (USA), BD Biosciences (USA), Gibco Life Technologies (USA), and Quest (USA).

A medium that is in current use having a composition comprising 2% casein hydrolysate (20 g/L), 1% yeast extract (10 g/L), 1% glucose (10 g/L) and 0.5% thioglycollate medium (5 g/L) was used for the seed culture and main culture of Clostridium botulinum to produce botulinum toxin. 5 g of the thioglycollate medium per liter of the medium that is in current use is composed of 2.52 g of an enzymatic digest of casein, 0.84 g of yeast extract, 0.925 g of dextrose, 0.085 g of sodium thioglycollate, 0.42 g of NaCl, 0.085 g of L-cysteine, 0.00014 g of Resazurin and 0.125 g of bacteriological agar.

1-2: Composition of APF Medium Used in Culture

A negative control medium was prepared by removing casein hydrolysate, yeast extract and thioglycollate medium from the medium that is in current use (original medium) for culture of Clostridium botulinum, and an animal protein-free (APF) medium was prepared by adding four plant-derived peptone candidates (Hy-Pea™ 7404, UltraPep™ Cotton, HyPep™ 7504, and HyPep™ 4601N) to the negative control medium (Table 1).

Table 1 shows the components of the plant-derived peptone-comprising APF medium for culture of Clostridium botulinum in comparison with the medium that is in current use.

TABLE 1 Conc. medium that is Negative APF Components of Medium (g/L) in current use Control Medium Glucose 10 10 10 10 Sodium Chloride (NaCl) 0.42 0.42 0.42 0.42 Casein hydrolysate 20 20 — — Yeast extract 10 10 — — Thioglycollate medium 5 5 — — Hy-Pea ™ 7404 20 — — 20 UltraPep ™ Cotton 10 — — 10 HyPep ™ 7504 10 — — 10 HyPep ™ 4601N 10 — — 10

1-3: Seed Culture of Clostridium botulinum

20 μl of Clostridium botulinum (the Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Accession No.: 4-029-CBB-IS-001) was inoculated into a culture tube containing 10 ml of a sterile medium having each of the compositions described in Examples 1-1 and 1-2 and was subjected to primary seed culture (stationary culture) at 35° C. for 22-30 hours under anaerobic conditions. When the growth of the bacterium in the primary seed culture was confirmed, 8 ml of the primary seed culture was inoculated into a 1-liter culture bottle containing 800 ml of a sterile medium having the same medium composition and was subjected to secondary seed culture (stationary culture) at 35° C. for 8-15 hours under anaerobic conditions.

1-4: Main Culture of Clostridium botulinum

In order to produce a botulinum toxin by culturing Clostridium botulinum, the main culture of the bacterium was performed. Specifically, 9.3 L of a medium having each of the compositions described in Examples 1-1 and 1-2 was prepared and placed in a 10-liter incubator, followed by sterilization of the medium. Nitrogen was supplied to make anaerobic conditions, and the growth of the bacterium was performed at a temperature of 35° C. and an agitation speed of 50 rpm.

The secondary seed culture in the 1-liter culture bottle in Example 1-3 was inoculated into a 10-liter incubator through an inoculation line connected to the inoculation port of the 10-liter incubator. Clostridium botulinum in the 10-liter incubator was cultured under the conditions of 35° C. and 50 rpm and the set culture conditions were monitored and recorded. When the bacterium was cultured for 100 hours or more, the main culture was terminated.

The growth of Clostridium botulinum in the animal protein-free (APF) medium prepared by adding four plant-derived peptone candidates (Hy-Pea™ 7404, UltraPep™ Cotton, HyPep™ 7504, and HyPep™ 4601N) to the negative control medium was compared with that of the bacterium in the negative control medium prepared by removing casein hydrolysate, yeast extract and thioglycollate medium from the medium that is in current use (original medium) (Table 1).

As a result, as shown in Table 1 and FIG. 1, Clostridium botulinum did not grow in the negative control medium, but started to grow in the original medium (medium that is in current use) at 24 hours after inoculation of the bacterium and started to grow in the plant-derived peptone-containing medium at 30 hours after inoculation of the bacterium.

Example 2: Culture of Clostridium botulinum in Medium Containing Plant-Derived Peptone, Mineral, Amino Acid and Vitamin

Because the growth of Clostridium botulinum in the medium prepared by adding four plant-derived peptones in Example 1 was slower than that in the original medium, solutions thereto were provided as follows.

1) To examine the effect of thioglycollate functioning to make anaerobic conditions, thioglycollate was removed from the original medium (medium that is in current use), and a change in the growth rate of the bacterium in the thioglycollate-free medium was analyzed.

2) Because the slower growth rate could be because of the lack of the nitrogen source, the peptone concentration in the medium used for culture of the bacterium was increased two times.

3) The growth of Clostridium botulinum in a medium obtained by adding mineral, amino acid and vitamin to the plant-derived peptone-containing medium was compared with the growth of Clostridium botulinum in an APF medium disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,012,716 (Allergan) (Table 2).

Table 2 shows the components of the medium for culture of Clostridium botulinum, which contains plant-derived peptones, minerals, amino acids and vitamins.

TABLE 2 medium 1 2 3 4 APF that is (APF (APF (APF (APF Medium of in current Medium Medium Medium Medium Allergan Components of Medium g/L use Candidate) Candidate) Candidate) Candidate) Company Glucose 10 10 10 10 10 10 15 Sodium Chloride (NaCl) 0.42 0.42    0.42    0.42    0.42    0.42 — Casein hydrolysate 20 20 20 — — — — Yeast extract 10 10 10 — — — 12 Thioglycollate medium 5 5 — — — — — Hy-Pea ™ 7404 20 — — 20 40 20 — UltraPep ™ Cotton 10 — — 10 20 10 — HyPep ™ 7504 10 — — 10 20 10 — HyPep ™ 4601N 10 — — 10 20 10 — KH₂PO₄ 7 — — — —  7 — K₂HPO₄ 5.5 — — — —   5.5 — Na₂HPO₄ 5 — — — —  5 — MgSO₄7H₂O 10 — — — — 10 — Vitamin Kit 100X — — — — 1X — Amino acid mixture 50X — — — — 1X — Soy peptone 32.5 — — — — —   32.5

As a result, as shown in Table 2 and FIG. 2, when the bacterium was cultured in the medium that is in current use without thioglycollate, the growth rate of the bacterium in the medium was slower than that in the thioglycollate-containing medium, indicating that thioglycollate influences the growth rate of the bacterium. When the peptone concentration in the medium was increased two times, the bacterium did not grow in the medium. When in the case in which mineral components, amino acids and vitamins were added to the peptone-containing medium, the growth rate of the bacterium was similar to that in the medium that is in current use, but a precipitate was formed after sterilization of the medium. In addition, it was seen that the growth rate of the bacterium in the Allergan's APF medium was similar to that in the medium that is in current use.

Example 3: Production of Precipitate by Sterilization of Medium Containing Plant-Derived Peptones, Minerals, Amino Acid and Vitamin

In Example 2, it was observed that the growth rate of Clostridium botulinum in the medium containing plant-derived peptones, minerals, amino acids and vitamins, among the APF medium candidates 2 to 4 shown in Table 2, was similar that in the medium that is in current use. However, formation of a precipitate appeared after sterilization of the medium, and thus the cause thereof was examined (Table 3).

Table 3 shows the components of a medium for culture of Clostridium botulinum, which was used in sterilization and contains plant-derived peptones, minerals, amino acids and vitamins.

TABLE 3 medium 1 2 3 that is (APF (APF (APF 4 in current Medium Medium Medium (APF Medium Components of Medium g/L use Candidate) Candidate) Candidate) Candidate) Glucose 10 10 10 10 10 10 Sodium Chloride (NaCl) 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5   0.5   0.5 Casein hydrolysate 20 20 — — — — Yeast extract 10 10 — — — — Thioglycollate medium 5 5 — — — — Hy-Pea ™ 7404 20 — 20 20 20 20 UltraPep ™ Cotton 10 — 10 10 10 10 HyPep ™ 7504 10 — 10 10 10 10 HyPep ™ 4601N 10 — 10 10 10 10 KH₂PO₄ 7 — 7 7 — — K₂HPO₄ 5.5 — 5.5 5.5 — — Na₂HPO₄ 5 — 5 5 — — MgSO₄7H₂O 10 — 10 10 — — Vitamin Kit 100X — 1X — 1X 1X (Adding after Sterilization) Amino acid mixture 50 X — 1X — 1X 1X (Adding after Sterilization)

As a result, as shown in Table 3 and FIG. 3, only in the case in which minerals were added to the plant-derived peptone-containing medium, a precipitate was formed after sterilization of the medium, indicating that the main cause of formation of the precipitate was the minerals. This is believed to be because the mineral components interacted with one another under the conditions of high temperature and high pressure during sterilization of the medium.

Example 4: Formation of Precipitate by Sterilization of Medium Containing Plant-Derived Peptones and Minerals

In order to identify the mineral components involved in the formation of precipitate caused by sterilization as confirmed in Example 3, various combinations of different components were added to media, followed by sterilization (Table 4).

Table 4 shows the components of media for culture of Clostridium botulinum, which contain plant-derived peptones and minerals, and the results of sterilization of the media.

TABLE 4 medium that is 1 2 3 4 5 6 in (APF (APF (APF (APF (APF (APF Components of current Medium Medium Medium Medium Medium Medium Medium g/L use Candidate) Candidate) Candidate) Candidate) Candidate) Candidate) Glucose 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 Sodium Chloride 0.5 0.5   0.5   0.5   0.5   0.5   0.5   0.5 (NaCl) Casein hydrolysate 20 20 — — — — — — Yeast extract 10 10 — — — — — — Thioglycollate 5 5 — — — — — — medium Hy-Pea ™ 7404 20 — 20 20 20 20 20 20 UltraPep ™ Cotton 10 — 10 10 10 10 10 10 HyPep ™ 7504 10 — 10 10 10 10 10 10 HyPep ™ 4601N 10 — 10 10 10 10 10 10 KH₂PO₄ 7 — —  7 —  7  7  7 K₂HPO₄ 5.5 — —   5.5   5.5 —   5.5   5.5 Na₂HPO₄ 5 — —  5  5  5 —  5 MgSO₄7H₂O 10 — — 10 10 10 10 — precipitation, x ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ x aggregation 7 8 9 10 11 12 (APF (APF (APF (APF (APF (APF Components of Medium Medium Medium Medium Medium Medium Medium Candidate) Candidate) Candidate) Candidate) Candidate) Candidate) Glucose 10 10 10 10 10 10 Sodium Chloride   0.5   0.5   0.5   0.5   0.5   0.5 (NaCl) Casein hydrolysate — — — — — — Yeast extract — — — — — — Thioglycollate — — — — — — medium Hy-Pea ™ 7404 20 20 20 20 20 20 UltraPep ™ Cotton 10 10 10 10 10 10 HyPep ™ 7504 10 10 10 10 10 10 HyPep ™ 4601N 10 10 10 10 10 10 KH₂PO₄ —  7  7 — — 10 K₂HPO₄ — —   5.5   5.5   5.5 — Na₂HPO₄  5 — —  5 —  5 MgSO₄7H₂O 10 10 — — 10 — precipitation, ∘ x x x ∘ x aggregation

As a result, as shown in Table 4 and FIG. 4, among the media containing plant-derived peptones and minerals, the medium containing MgSO₄.7H₂O and K₂HPO₄ and the medium containing MgSO₄.7H₂O and Na₂HPO₄ formed a precipitate after sterilization.

Example 5: Culture of Clostridium botulinum Under Conditions in which No Precipitate is Formed in APF Medium

An experiment was performed to determine whether culture of Clostridium botulinum is possible when vitamin and amino acid are additionally added to the APF medium of Example 4 containing plant-derived peptones and minerals. In addition, an experiment was performed to examine whether culture of the bacterium is possible in a medium which is free of plant-derived peptone and mineral and contains vitamins, amino acids and/or “BD Recharge™ without Glucose and L-Glutamine” (Cat No. 670002, BD Bioscience) (a yeast extract-based medium component free of glucose and L-glutamine) (Table 5).

Table 5 shows the components of media obtained by additionally adding vitamins, amino acids and “BD Recharge™ without Glucose and L-Glutamine” to the medium for culture of Clostridium botulinum, which contains plant-derived peptones and minerals, and the growth rates of the bacterium in the media.

TABLE 5 medium that is 1 2 3 4 5 6 in (APF (APF (APF (APF (APF (APF Components of current Medium Medium Medium Medium Medium Medium Medium g/L use Candidate) Candidate) Candidate) Candidate) Candidate) Candidate) Glucose 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 Sodium Chloride 0.5 0.5   0.5   0.5   0.5   0.5   0.5   0.5 (NaCl) Casein 20 20 — — — — — — hydrolysate Yeast extract 10 10 — — — — — — Thioglycollate 5 5 — — — — — — medium Sodium 1 — — — — — — — thioglycollate Hy-Pea ™ 7404 20 — 20 20 20 20 20 20 UltraPep ™ 10 — 10 10 10 10 10 10 Cotton HyPep ™ 7504 10 — 10 10 10 10 10 10 HyPep ™ 4601N 10 — 10 10 10 10 10 10 KH₂PO₄ 7 — —  7  7  7 —  7 K₂HPO₄ 5.5 — —   5.5 —   5.5   5.5 — Na₂HPO₄ 5 — —  5 — —  5  5 MgSO₄7H₂O 10 — — — 10 — — — Vitamin Kit 100X — — 1X 1X 1X 1X 1X Amino acid — — 1X 1X 1X 1X 1X mixture 50 X w/o Glucose and 45.42 — — — — — — — L-glutamine Growth x ∘ x ∘ ∘ ∘ Details Growing Growing Growing Growing in in in in 24 hrs 24 hrs 24 hrs 24 hrs 7 8 9 10 11 12 (APF (APF (APF (APF (APF (APF Components of Medium Medium Medium Medium Medium Medium Medium Candidate) Candidate) Candidate) Candidate) Candidate) Candidate) Glucose 10 10 10 10 10 10 Sodium Chloride   0.5   0.5   0.5   0.5   0.5   0.5 (NaCl) Casein — — — — — — hydrolysate Yeast extract — — — — — — Thioglycollate — — — — — — medium Sodium — —  1 — — — thioglycollate Hy-Pea ™ 7404 20 20 20 20 — — UltraPep ™ 10 10 10 10 — — Cotton HyPep ™ 7504 10 10 10 10 — — HyPep ™ 4601N 10 10 10 10 — — KH₂PO₄ — — — — — — K₂HPO₄ — — — — — — Na₂HPO₄ — — — — — — MgSO₄7H₂O — — — — — — Vitamin Kit 100X 1X — — 1X — 1X Amino acid 1X — — 1X — 1X mixture 50 X w/o Glucose and —   45.42 —   45.42   45.42   45.42 L-glutamine Growth x x x x x ∘ Details Growing in 48 hr

As a result, as shown in Table 5 and FIG. 5, only in the case in which the medium contained plant-derived peptones and a combination of two or more minerals of KH₂PO₄, K₂HPO₄ and Na₂HPO₄ and further contained vitamin and amino acid, Clostridium botulinum grew within 24 hours after inoculation of the bacterium. In addition, in the case in which the medium was free of plant-derived peptone and mineral and contained vitamins, amino acids and “BD Recharge™ without Glucose and L-Glutamine”, the bacterium grew within 48 hours after inoculation of the bacterium. In conclusion, the most suitable medium composition for culture of Clostridium botulinum comprises plant-derived peptones, KH₂PO₄, K₂HPO₄, Na₂HPO₄, amino acids and vitamins.

Example 6: Culture of Clostridium botulinum in Media Containing Different Plant-Derived Peptones

An experiment was performed to examine whether culture of Clostridium botulinum is possible when different combinations of plant-derived peptones are added to the APF medium of Example 5.

Table 6 shows the components of media for culture of Clostridium botulinum, which contain different plant-derived peptones, and the results of examining whether the bacterium grew in the media.

TABLE 6 medium that is 1 2 3 4 5 6 in (APF (APF (APF (APF (APF (APF current Medium Medium Medium Medium Medium Medium Components of Medium g/L use Candidate) Candidate) Candidate) Candidate) Candidate) Candidate) Glucose 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 Sodium Chloride (NaCl) 0.5 0.5   0.5   0.5   0.5   0.5   0.5   0.5 Casein hydrolysate 20 20 — — — — — — Yeast extract 10 10 — — — — — — Thioglycollate medium 5 5 — — — — — — Sodium thioglycollate 0.1 — — — — — — — Hy-Pea ™ 7404 10 — 10 10 — — — — UltraPep ™ Cotton 10 — 10 — 10 — — — HyPep ™ 7504 10 — 10 — — 10 — 10 HyPep ™ 4601N 10 — 10 — — — 10 10 KH₂PO₄ 7 —  7  7  7  7  7  7 K₂HPO₄ 5.5 —   5.5   5.5   5.5   5.5   5.5   5.5 Na₂HPO₄ 5 —  5  5  5  5  5  5 MgSO₄7H₂O 10 — — — — — — — Vitamin Kit 100X — — 1X 1X 1X 1X 1X Amino acid mixture 50 X — — 1X 1X 1X 1X 1X w/o Glucose and 45.42 — — — — — — — L-glutamine Growth ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 (APF (APF (APF (APF (APF (APF (APF Medium Medium Medium Medium Medium Medium Medium Components of Medium Candidate) Candidate) Candidate) Candidate) Candidate) Candidate) Candidate) Glucose 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 Sodium Chloride (NaCl)   0.5   0.5   0.5   0.5   0.5   0.5   0.5 Casein hydrolysate — — — — — — — Yeast extract — — — — — — — Thioglycollate medium — — — — — — — Sodium thioglycollate — — — — —   0.1 — Hy-Pea ™ 7404 — — 10 10 10 — — UltraPep ™ Cotton 10 10 — — 10 — — HyPep ™ 7504 — 10 — 10 — — — HyPep ™ 4601N 10 — 10 — — — — KH₂PO₄  7  7  7  7  7 —  7 K₂HPO₄   5.5   5.5   5.5   5.5   5.5 —   5.5 Na₂HPO₄  5  5  5  5  5 —  5 MgSO₄7H₂O — — — — — — — Vitamin Kit 100X 1X 1X 1X 1X 1X 1X 1X Amino acid mixture 50 X 1X 1X 1X 1X 1X 1X 1X w/o Glucose and — — — — — 45.42 45.42 L-glutamine Growth ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ x x

As a result, as shown in Table 6 and FIG. 6, even when only or two of the four plant-derived peptones were added to the medium, culture of Clostridium botulinum was possible.

Taking the results of Examples 5 and 6 into account, it could be seen that at least one plant-derived peptone should be contained in the medium and that the plant-derived peptone cannot be substituted with “BD Recharge™ without Glucose and L-Glutamine” (Cat No. 670002, BD Bioscience) (a yeast extract-based medium component free of glucose and L-glutamine).

Example 7: Experiment for Selection of Two of Three Minerals Contained in Medium

In Examples 1 to 7, it was determined that the APF medium composition used for culture of Clostridium botulinum comprises glucose, sodium chloride (NaCl), four plant-derived peptones, three minerals, amino acids, and vitamins. Among these medium components, medium components having no significant effect on the growth of the bacterium were removed to reduce the number of the medium components. Thus, it was judged that amino acids and vitamins have no significant effect on the growth of Clostridium botulinum, and under this judgment, amino acids and vitamins were removed from the medium components. In addition, in order to select two of three minerals, the bacterium was cultured using the medium compositions shown in Table 7, and the OD (540 nm and 600 nm) values at 24 hours and 48 hours after inoculation of the bacterium were measured and compared.

Table 7 shows the compositions of media resulting from the first-stage selection of minerals and the growth of Clostridium botulinum in the media.

TABLE 7 medium that is 1 2 3 4 5 in (APF (APF (APF (APF (APF Components of current Medium Medium Medium Medium Medium Medium g/L use Candidate) Candidate) Candidate) Candidate) Candidate) Glucose 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 Sodium Chloride 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 (NaCl) Casein hydrolysate 20 20 — — — — — Yeast extract 10 10 — — — — — Thioglycollate 5 5 — — — — — medium Hy-Pea ™ 7404 10 — 10 10 10 10 10 UltraPep ™ Cotton 10 — 10 10 10 10 10 HyPep ™ 7504 10 — 10 10 10 10 10 HyPep ™ 4601N 10 — 10 10 10 10 10 KH₂PO₄ 7 — — 7 — 7 — K₂HPO₄ 5.5 — — — 5.5 5.5 — Na₂HPO₄ 5 — — — — — 5 Culture 24 hr OD 540 nm 0.942 −0.017 −0.024 4.396 3.226 4.218 600 nm 0.780 −0.016 −0.020 3.832 2.691 3.593 Culture 48 hr OD 540 nm 2.459 −0.014 −0.019 4.716 5.220 3.502 600 nm 2.057 −0.015 −0.018 3.852 4.288 2.989 6 7 8 9 10 11 (APF (APF (APF (APF (APF (APF Components of Medium Medium Medium Medium Medium Medium Medium Candidate) Candidate) Candidate) Candidate) Candidate) Candidate) Glucose 10 10 10 10 10 10 Sodium Chloride 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 (NaCl) Casein hydrolysate — — — — — — Yeast extract — — — — — — Thioglycollate — — — — — — medium Hy-Pea ™ 7404 10 10 10 10 10 10 UltraPep ™ Cotton 10 10 10 10 10 10 HyPep ™ 7504 10 10 10 10 10 10 HyPep ™ 4601N 10 10 10 10 10 10 KH₂PO₄ 7 — 7 3.5 3.5 3.5 K₂HPO₄ — 5.5 5.5 2.75 2.75 2.75 Na₂HPO₄ 5 5 5 2.5 2.5 2.5 Culture 24 hr OD 3.214 4.964 3.991 3.951 3.938 3.594 2.680 4.304 3.351 3.341 3.335 3.036 Culture 48 hr OD 5.460 2.056 2.603 5.726 5.682 5.434 4.480 1.587 2.020 4.688 4.647 4.459

As a result, as shown in Table 7, at 24 hours of inoculation of the bacterium, the medium that is in current use showed an OD(540 nm) value of 0.942, and the APF medium containing K₂HPO₄ and Na₂HPO₄ showed the highest OD(540 nm) value of 4.964 among the APF media. In addition, at 48 hours after inoculation of the bacterium, the APF medium containing KH₂PO₄ and Na₂HPO₄ showed the highest OD value and active bacterial growth.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIGS. 7a to 7d , contour plots of K₂HPO₄ and Na₂HPO₄ having high main effects were drawn. As a result, as the concentrations of K₂HPO₄ and Na₂HPO₄ increased, the OD value increased. And Clostridium botulinum showed the highest growth when minerals were added to the medium at the concentrations of KH₂PO₄=0 g/L, K₂HPO₄=5.5 g/L, and Na₂HPO₄=5 g/L.

Meanwhile, in order to confirm the results of bacterial culture according to more precise addition of minerals, a second-stage experiment was performed using a response surface methodology. Because the medium composition cannot have a negative value, the experiment was planned using a CCF (central composite faced) design and performed by culturing the bacterium in the medium compositions shown in Table 8. Then, the experimental results were combined with the results of the previously performed FFD and subjected to statistical analysis.

Table 8 shows the compositions of media obtained by the second-stage selection of minerals and the growth of Clostridium botulinum in the media.

TABLE 8 medium that 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 is (APF (APF (APF (APF (APF (APF (APF (APF (APF in Components of Medium Medium Medium Medium Medium Medium Medium Medium Medium current Medium g/L Candidate) Candidate) Candidate) Candidate) Candidate) Candidate) Candidate) Candidate) Candidate) use Glucose 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 Sodium Chloride 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 — (NaCl) Casein hydrolysate 20 — — — — — — — — — 20 Yeast extract 10 — — — — — — — — — 10 Thioglycollate medium 5 — — — — — — — — — 5 Hy-Pea ™ 7404 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 — UltraPep ™ Cotton 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 — HyPep ™ 7504 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 — HyPep ™ 4601N 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 — KH₂PO₄ 7 — 7 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5 — K₂HPO₄ 5.5 2.75 2.75 — 5.5 2.75 2.75 2.75 2.75 2.75 — Na₂HPO₄ 5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 — 5 2.5 2.5 2.5 — OD 24 hr 540 nm 4.408 3.587 2.233 4.639 1.778 4.332 3.904 3.907 4.046 1.556 600 nm 3.836 3.086 1.896 4.068 1.503 3.777 3.366 3.368 3.505 1.307 OD 48 hr 540 nm 5.021 5.760 4.359 3.594 4.529 4.054 6.492 5.621 5.473 3.622 600 nm 4.284 4.925 3.695 3.049 3.832 3.457 5.603 4.830 4.677 3.062

Contour plots were drawn and used for comparison. As shown in FIGS. 8a to 8d , the OD value increased as the concentration of KH₂PO₄ decreased. When the optimal conditions were compared, the results were different from the results of FFD due to the curvature effect, and the value of K₂HPO₄ was the same, but the value of Na₂HPO₄ changed from 5 g/L to 3.1313 g/L. Thus, it was confirmed that the optimal mineral conditions of the medium by statistical analysis are 5.5 g/L K₂HPO₄ and 3 g/L Na₂HPO₄.

Example 8: Experiment for Selection of Plant-Derived Peptones Contained in Medium

As shown in Tables 9 and 10, plant-derived peptones were combined according to a mixture design, and the growth of Clostridium botulinum in a medium containing the combined plant-derived peptones was examined.

Table 9 shows the compositions of media obtained by the first-stage selection of plant-derived peptones and the growth of Clostridium botulinum using the media.

TABLE 9 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 medium 1 2 3 (APF (APF (APF (APF (APF (APF (APF (APF that (APF (APF (APF Medium Medium Medium Medium Medium Medium Medium Medium is in Components of Medium Medium Medium Candi- Candi- Candi- Candi- Candi- Candi- Candi- Candi- current Medium g/L Candidate) Candidate) Candidate) date) date) date) date) date) date) date) date) use Glucose 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 Sodium Chloride 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 — (NaCl) Casein 20 — — — — — — — — — — — 20 hydrolysate Yeast extract 10 — — — — — — — — — — — 10 Thioglycollate 5 — — — — — — — — — — — 5 medium Hy-Pea ™ 7404 10 5 10 5 5 — — 6.667 6.667 — — 10 — UltraPep ™ 10 5 — 5 5 10 — 6.667 6.667 20 — 10 — Cotton HyPep ™ 7504 10 5 10 5 5 — 10 — 6.667 — 20 10 — HyPep ™ 4601N 10 5 — 5 5 10 10 6.667 — — — 10 — K₂HPO₄ 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.5 — Na₂HPO₄ 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 — OD 24 hr 540 nm 3.541 2.440 3.345 3.305 3.317 2.852 3.695 2.772 2.353 1.688 4.842 2.239 600 nm 3.058 2.066 2.868 2.831 2.853 2.445 3.183 2.376 2.014 1.419 4.245 1.893 OD 48 hr 540 nm 0.811 0.935 0.731 0.799 1.400 0.777 1.660 1.090 1.810 1.402 2.093 3.341 600 nm 0.714 0.795 0.647 0.694 1.199 0.680 1.403 0.929 1.548 1.210 1.764 2.812

Table 10 shows the compositions of media obtained by the second-stage selection of plant-derived peptones and the growth of Clostridium botulinum using the media.

TABLE 10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 (APF (APF (APF (APF (APF (APF (APF Components of Medium Medium Medium Medium Medium Medium Medium Medium g/L Candidate) Candidate) Candidate) Candidate) Candidate) Candidate) Candidate) Glucose 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 Sodium Chloride 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 (NaCl) Casein 20 — — — — — — — hydrolysate Yeast extract 10 — — — — — — — Thioglycollate 5 — — — — — — — medium Hy-Pea ™ 7404 10 5 5 — — 10 10 5 UltraPep ™ 10 5 5 10 6.667 10 — 5 Cotton HyPep ™ 7504 10 5 5 10 6.667 — — 5 HyPep ™ 4601N 10 5 5 — 6.667 — 10 5 K₂HPO₄ 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.5 Na₂HPO₄ 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 OD 24 hr 540 nm 3.425 3.640 2.349 2.581 3.272 1.289 3.514 600 nm 2.969 3.159 2.029 2.244 1.096 1.096 3.032 OD 48 hr 540 nm 0.769 0.836 1.633 0.961 1.501 1.148 0.803 600 nm 0.675 0.732 1.420 0.854 1.270 0.982 0.698 medium that 8 9 10 11 12 13 is (APF (APF (APF (APF (APF (APF in Components of Medium Medium Medium Medium Medium Medium current Medium Candidate) Candidate) Candidate) Candidate) Candidate) Candidate) use Glucose 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 Sodium Chloride 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 — (NaCl) Casein — — — — — — 20 hydrolysate Yeast extract — — — — — — 10 Thioglycollate — — — — — — 5 medium Hy-Pea ™ 7404 20 — 6.667 10 10 10 — UltraPep ™ — — — 10 10 10 — Cotton HyPep ™ 7504 — — 6.667 10 10 10 — HyPep ™ 4601N — 20 6.667 10 10 10 — K₂HPO₄ 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.5 — Na₂HPO₄ 3 3 3 3 3 3 — OD 24 hr 0.776 1.257 3.457 5.376 5.235 4.809 2.208 0.649 1.098 2.950 4.689 4.534 4.246 1.863 OD 48 hr 0.880 1.278 0.962 1.986 1.994 2.010 3.185 0.744 1.124 0.818 1.708 1.710 1.717 2.708

As a result, as shown in FIGS. 9a to 9c , contour plots were drawn and used for analysis. It was determined that HyPep™ 7504 corresponding to the component C has the lowest effect on the growth of Clostridium botulinum. Based on this determination, HyPep™ 7504 was excluded from medium components. In conclusion, it was determined that the composition of the finally selected plant-derived peptones that are contained in the medium comprises 5 g/L Hy-Pea™ 7404, 10 g/L UltraPep™ Cotton and 5 g/L HyPep™ 4601N.

Example 9: Culture of Clostridium botulinum in Medium Containing or not Containing NaCl

The medium compositions used in Examples 1 to 8 contained a small amount (0.5 g/L) of NaCl. In order to examine the growth of Clostridium botulinum according to the concentration change of NaCl, the content of NaCl in the medium was adjusted to a range from 0 to 1 g/L, followed by culture of the bacterium in the medium.

Table 11 shows the components of NaCl-containing media for culture of Clostridium botulinum and the growth of Clostridium botulinum in the media.

TABLE 11 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 (APF (APF (APF (APF (APF (APF (APF (APF (APF Components of Medium Medium Medium Medium Medium Medium Medium Medium Medium Medium g/L Candidate) Candidate) Candidate) Candidate) Candidate) Candidate) Candidate) Candidate) Candidate) Glucose 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 Sodium Chloride 0.5 — — — 0.5 0.5 0.5 1 1 1 (NaCl) Hy-Pea ™ 7404 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 UltraPep ™ 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 Cotton HyPep ™ 4601N 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 K₂HPO₄ 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.5 Na₂HPO₄ 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 OD 24 hr 540 nm 2.166 2.154 2.151 2.148 2.115 2.120 2.145 2.147 2.140 600 nm 1.940 1.923 1.922 1.922 1.892 1.896 1.919 1.922 1.917

As a result, as shown in Table 11, there was no difference in the growth of the bacterium whether the medium contained NaCl or not. Thus, NaCl was excluded from the final APF medium components.

Example 10: Measurement of Growth Pattern of Clostridium botulinum in Finally Selected APF Medium and Toxin Concentration

Clostridium botulinum was inoculated into the finally selected Clostridium botulinum culture medium (10 g/L glucose, 5 g/L Hy-Pea™ 7404, 10 g/L UltraPep™ Cotton, 5 g/L HyPep™ 4601N, 5.5 g/L K₂HPO₄, and 3 g/L Na₂HPO₄) determined based on the results of Examples 1 to 9, and then the growth pattern of the bacterium and the toxin concentration were measured.

Table 12 shows the time-dependent OD value and toxin concentration of Clostridium botulinum grown in the finally selected APF medium.

TABLE 12 Total Toxin Conc. Time of OD Toxin Conc. in after rupturing Culture (hr) 540 nm 600 nm Supernatant (μg/ml) strain (μg/ml) 0 0 0 0 0 6 0.0953 0.0393 0.00 0.00 9 0.0648 0.0525 0.00 0.00 12 0.5003 0.4411 0.00 0.00 14 1.1328 0.9958 2.18 2.04 16 1.6252 1.4484 4.64 10.22 18 2.3435 2.0215 6.77 18.15 20 2.777 2.4015 8.47 29.26 22 3.3485 2.896 9.46 31.86 24 3.5465 3.0695 — 31.73 28 3.452 2.982 — 37.31 36 2.5955 2.242 21.20 38.00 48 0.792 0.7224 31.41 38.39

As a result, as shown in Table 12 and FIG. 10, the OD value started to increase after 12 hours of culture of Clostridium botulinum, and at 24 hours of culture, the culture medium showed an OD_(540 nm) of 3.5465 and an OD_(600 nm) of 3.0695. Then, the OD value decreased gradually, and at 48 hours of culture, the culture medium showed an OD_(540 nm) of 0.792 and an OD_(600 nm) of 0.7224. The toxin concentration in the supernatant of Clostridium botulinum started to increase after 14 hours of culture and showed a final value of 31.41 μg/ml. When the toxin concentration was measured after rupturing the bacterium, the toxin started to be produced after 5 hours of culture, and the toxin concentration continued to increase, was maintained at a uniform level after 28 hours of culture, and showed a final value of 38.39 μg/ml.

In conclusion, the finally selected APF (animal protein-free medium) composition determined based on the results of Examples 1 to 10 is summerized in Table 13.

TABLE 13 Components of Medium g/L Carbon Source Glucose 10 Nitrogen Hy-Pea ™ 7404 5 Source UltraPep ™ Cotton 10 (Vegetable HyPep ™ 4601N 5 Peptone) Mineral K₂HPO₄ 5.5 Na₂HPO₄ 3

Example 11: Growth of Clostridium botulinum in Medium Containing Plant-Derived Peptone and Porcine Peptone

Although the APF medium composition determined through Examples 1 to 10 showed an increased growth rate of the bacterium compared to the medium that is in current use, it was taken into account to add a medium component that further increases the growth rate of the bacterium and has no risk of causing TSE infection or the like. As a result, a porcine peptone, which has not been reported to cause TSE infection, was added to the APF medium, and the growth of the bacterium in the resulting medium was examined.

One or two TSE-free porcine peptones were added to the APF medium determined based on the results of Examples 1 to 10. Specifically, Clostridium botulinum was cultured in the medium composition containing the plant-derived peptone and porcine peptone Primatone P37 and/or Bacto proteose peptone No. 3 for 24 hours and 48 hours, and the growth of the bacterium was examined by measuring the OD (540 nm, 600 nm) values during the culture (Table 14). In addition, the results of the measurement were subjected to statistical analysis using statistical program, thereby selecting a medium composition showing the highest growth at 24 hours of culture of the bacterium.

Table 14 shows the components of a medium for culture of Clostridium botulinum, which contains plant-derived peptones, minerals and porcine peptones.

TABLE 14 Components Flask No. of Medium g/L 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Glucose 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 Casein 20 — — — — — — — — hydrolysate Yeast 10 — — — — — — — — extract Thioglycollate 5 — — — — — — — — in medium Hy-Pea ™ 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 7404 UltraPep ™ 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 Cotton HyPep ™ 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 4601N K₂HPO₄ 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.5 Na₂HPO₄ 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 Primatone 10 10 10 20 — 20 — — P37 Bacto 10 10 10 20 — — 20 10 procine peptone No. 3 OD 24 hr 540 nm 4.951 4.625 4.685 4.380 5.469 4.549 4.552 4.426 600 nm 4.436 4.129 4.175 3.972 3.011 4.083 4.022 3.934 OD 48 hr 540 nm 1.541 1.595 1.579 2.690 1.206 1.811 1.787 1.977 600 nm 1.246 1.317 1.328 2.266 1.042 1.562 1.558 1.697 Components Flask No. of Medium g/L 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Glucose 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 Casein 20 — — — — — — 20 hydrolysate Yeast 10 — — — — — — 10 extract Thioglycollate 5 — — — — — — 5 in medium Hy-Pea ™ 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 — 7404 UltraPep ™ 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 — Cotton HyPep ™ 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 — 4601N K₂HPO₄ 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.5 — Na₂HPO₄ 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 — Primatone 20 10 10 10 10 10 — P37 Bacto 10 — 20 10 10 10 — procine peptone No. 3 OD 24 hr 540 nm 4.937 4.396 4.934 4.835 4.775 4.699 1.206 600 nm 4.396 3.888 4.394 4.319 4.255 4.207 1.011 OD 48 hr 540 nm 2.072 1.912 2.312 1.306 1.627 1.546 2.814 600 nm 1.798 1.643 2.025 1.281 1.545 1.496 2.373

As a result, as shown in Table 14, when the bacterium was cultured in the medium further containing porcine peptones, the medium showed an OD value higher than that of the medium containing plant-derived peptones alone. Particularly, the medium showing the highest growth rate of the bacterium was a medium containing 10 g/L Primatone P37 and 10 g/L Bacto proteose peptone, which showed an OD_(540 nm) value of 4.951.

Meanwhile, in order to determine conditions in which the growth of the bacterium can be maximized, the experiment was extended to a response surface method, and the results of the response surface method were subjected to statistical analysis using statistical program. In addition, as shown in FIG. 11a , a response contour plot was drawn, and as a result, conditions in which the growth of the bacterium can be maximized were found in the experimental range. Furthermore, the conditions in which the growth of the bacterium can be maximized were calculated. As a result, as shown in FIG. 11b , the medium containing 13.131 g/L of Primatone P37 and 12.727 g/L of Bacto proteose peptone No. 3 showed an OD_(540nm) value of 4.8718, which corresponds to the highest growth rate of the bacterium. For convenience of the medium composition, each of the additional medium components was used in an amount of 13 g/L in subsequent experiments.

Example 12: Growth Pattern of Clostridium botulinum in Medium Containing Plant-Derived Peptone and Porcine Peptone

Using the medium composition containing plant-derived peptones and porcine peptones, determined in Examples 1 to 11, Clostridium botulinum was cultured, and the growth pattern of the bacterium in the medium was examined (see Table 15).

Table 15 shows time-dependent OD values comparing the growth of Clostridium botulinum between the medium that is in current use, the medium containing plant-derived peptone (APF medium) and the final medium containing plant-derived peptone and porcine peptone (APF+porcine peptone).

TABLE 15 medium that is in APF + Porcine Time of current use APF Medium Peptone Culture (hr) OD_(540nm) OD_(600nm) OD_(540nm) OD_(600nm) OD_(540nm) OD_(600nm) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 0.0009 0.0014 0.1101 0.0964 0.2563 0.2319 12 0.0161 0.0132 0.5537 0.4880 1.3588 1.1892 15 0.1163 0.0975 1.4508 1.2508 3.5608 3.1432 18 0.3448 0.2911 2.0240 1.7572 5.2240 4.4720 20 0.5255 0.4468 2.8140 2.4210 6.1450 5.2850 22 1.5292 1.3164 2.9500 2.5345 6.0950 5.2040 24 2.0528 1.8084 3.1365 2.6970 — — 29 2.8350 2.4090 2.9415 2.5290 6.9880 6.0920 33 3.0535 2.6030 2.9130 2.5090 3.0902 2.6510 36 3.1755 2.7115 2.3710 2.0255 2.9205 2.5445 41 3.2015 2.7270 1.4830 1.2855 2.5010 2.1710 45 3.0450 2.5875 1.3145 1.1305 2.0910 1.8200 60 2.6696 2.2732 0.6276 0.5800 0.9991 0.9990

As a result, as shown in Table 15 and FIG. 12, at 20 hours of culture of the bacterium, the growth of the bacterium in the medium containing plant-derived peptones and porcine peptones was active, and the medium showed an OD value which was about 11 times higher than that of the medium that is in current use and about 2.2 times higher than that of the medium containing plant-derived peptones alone. At 29 hours of culture of the bacterium, the peak OD value of the medium containing plant-derived peptones and porcine peptones was at least two times higher than that of each of the medium that is in current use and the medium containing plant-derived peptones alone. Thus, it could be seen that the growth rate of the bacterium in the medium containing plant-derived peptones and porcine peptones was highest among those in the three kinds of media.

In conclusion, based on the results of Examples 11 and 12, the finally selected composition comprising porcine peptones in addition to the animal protein-free (APF) medium is shown in Table 16.

TABLE 16 Composition of Medium Components of Medium g/L Carbon Source Glucose 10 Nitrogen Source Hy-Pea ™ 7404 5 (Vegetable Peptone) UltraPep ™ Cotton 10 HyPep ™ 4601N 5 Mineral K₂HPO₄ 5.5 Na₂HPO₄ 3 Nitrogen Source Primatone P37 13 (Porcine Peptone) Bacto proteose peptone No. 3 13

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

As described above, when the medium according to the present invention, which contains plant-derived peptones, porcine peptones and minerals, is used for culture of Clostridium botulinum, the growth rate of the bacterium in the medium is higher than that in each of the medium that is in current use and the medium containing plant-derived peptone alone. In addition, when the medium of the present invention is used, a high concentration of botulinum toxin can be produced by culturing the bacterium in a safe manner.

Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the specific features, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that this description is only for a preferred embodiment and does not limit the scope of the present invention. Thus, the substantial scope of the present invention will be defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof. 

The invention claimed is:
 1. A medium composition for culture of Clostridium botulinum, the medium composition comprising: plant-derived peptones comprising a garden pea hydrolysate, a cotton seed hydrolysate, and a wheat gluten hydrolysate, in a ratio of 1:0.24-43.62:0.01-50.57 by weight, and a porcine peptone.
 2. The medium composition of claim 1, wherein the plant-derived peptones are comprised with a content of 0.1-10% (w/v).
 3. The medium composition of claim 1, wherein the porcine peptone in the medium composition is comprised with a content of 0.2-10% (w/v).
 4. The medium composition of claim 1, wherein the porcine peptone is a hydrolysate comprising about 54.91-60.69 wt % of peptides having a molecular weight of 500 Da or less, or a hydrolysate comprising about 38.48-42.53 wt % of peptides having a molecular weight of 500 Da or less.
 5. The medium composition of claim 1, wherein the plant-derived peptones or the porcine peptones are subjected to an enzyme treatment.
 6. The medium composition of claim 1, further comprising a carbon source and at least one mineral selected from the group consisting of K₂HPO₄ (dipotassium phosphate), Na₂HPO₄ (disodium phosphate) and KH₂PO₄ (monopotassium phosphate).
 7. The medium composition of claim 6, wherein the mineral in the medium composition is comprised with a content of 0.05-3.5% (w/v).
 8. A method for producing botulinum toxin, comprising the steps of: (a) culturing Clostridium botulinum using the medium composition of claim 1 to produce botulinum toxin; and (b) recovering the produced botulinum toxin.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the culture is performed under anaerobic conditions.
 10. The method of claim 8, wherein the botulinum toxin is selected from the group consisting of botulinum toxin serotypes A, B, C, D, E, F and G. 